CHENNAI: An earthquake measuring 6.0 on the Richter Scale hit the northern Bay of Bengal on Wednesday night, causing tremors to be felt in a number of cities on the Indian mainland. The epicentre of the quake was located about 275 km southeast of Konark in Odisha, at a depth of 39 km below the surface.
The quake did not seem to have featured any vertical shift in the landmass, which is a critical factor in causing tsunamis. The quake did not occur along a fault line. This meant that a tsunami alert was not raised along the eastern coast, despite the quake occurring in the neighbourhood.
The quake occurred around 9:51 pm IST, according to data from the geological event alerts from the United States Geological Service (USGS). Residents of some parts of Chennai were out on the streets after feeling the tremors. However, such incidents were few and far between, and no aftershocks were reported.
“The earthquake has been confirmed but there is no Tsunami alert. The effect in Chennai is minor. It occurred around 9.51pm IST. Though initially it was reported at 6.2 on the Richter Scale the latest bulletin has bought it down to 5.8,” said the Deputy Director of RMC Chennai, S B Thambi.
Social media networking websites were buzzing with news of the tremors coming in from cities across the Indian mainland, such as Thoothukudi and Chennai, to Hyderabad, Bhubaneshwar, Kolkata and Delhi.
Reports about the tremors surfaced from various parts of the city, including from Nungambakkam, Adyar, Kilpuak and Royapettah. “I was sitting on my bed around 9.45 pm when I heard the spoons falling down in the kitchen. Even some of the windows were banging,” said Gayathri Puranik, a medical coder from Kilpauk.
Information was yet to emerge when this article was filed, over the tremors had caused material damage of any nature.
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